Are you a victim of Spiritual Abuse? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be a victim of spiritual abuse. Many of us have gone through bad church experiences that have left us feeling like failures. Blaming ourselves, we asked for God's forgiveness, but felt distant from the church and sometimes from God too. Often, however, the fault is not ours but that of Christian leaders who abuse spiritually. How can we recognize the signs of spiritual abuse? What can we do to gain healing from the wounds we have experienced? With clarity and refreshing honesty, Ken Blue answers these questions and offers hope and healing to the victims of spiritual abuse. In addition he shows Christian leaders how to avoid abusive patterns and instead offer Christ's gospel of grace to every casualty of bad church experiences.
Healing Spiritual Abuse
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Ken Blue is the director of Good News to the Poor, an organization that takes the gospel and business training to the developing world.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
96 of 97 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Ken Blue interweaves simple, down-to-earth definitions of spiritual abuse with examples from the experiences of real people. Having grown up in an abusive church, I found it difficult even to give myself permission to pick up this book and start reading. His style was disarming, and the accounts of people's experiences were chillingly compelling. After the first few chapters, I was able for the first time in my life to use the word abuse in connection with that church.
Near the end, the author includes a checklist of characteristics of a "Significantly Abberant Christian Oraganization." Honestly scoring my church on that list is what precipitated my escape, for it gave me compelling, common-sense reasons for breaking off contact with that organization.
Walking away from spiritual abuse is a slow, painful process. My journey to healing didn't start, or end, with this book. But it was essential to one of the most significant steps I had to take in leaving the abusive environment behind.
42 of 44 people found the following review helpful
By Dubs70
Format:Paperback
Ken Blue disucssed not only the abused side of spiritual abuse, but also covered the abuser. This was a balanced look at where spiritual abuse comes from, and steps to take to be healed from it. It had an awesome emphasis on the grace of God. All those who have been feeling like the church has done more harm than help to them should read this book. There is a firm biblical foundation in all that is written. It was an awesome book to read to get a better understanding of what is really going on whith the church, and how people are able to abuse church goers so easily. I would recommend it to all people who are in the church, be they part of the church staff or occasional church goers.
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
By Robert Doyle
Format:Paperback
This book reflects the passion of the author, Ken Blue, whose theological life is focused on helping wounded church goers while being a source of correction and challenge to the status quo within Christianity. A good read for any casual or serious churchgoer, this book crosses demoninational boundries. Care and concern are expressed not only to the abused, but to the abuser as well. Any member of the clergy would be well advised to have a copy of this on hand in their library.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Most books I've read on this subject focus mainly on extreme spiritual abuses. This book covers the more subtle, gray shades of abuse that are so much more common--and does so by cutting to the sources of errant teaching on authority/submission. I needed this one badly.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
It'd help me identify that my church was similar as the one identified in the book. I thought it was literally talking about my church which used high degree of authority, controlling our lives, and losing our freedom. I went to this church as a new Christian not really knowing what it is like to be in a body of Christ. This book helped me identify that i wasn't alone in this kind of abuse. Although it did that it does not help when it coems to bringing healing from it. it does a very good job of identifying it and describing the ones who inflict spiritual abuse upon the persons and identifythe types of victims, however it doesn't help bring solutions in healing. I kind of got really discouraged considering, although I had been out of that church a half a year ago, my Christian walk is suffering out of confusion. I wish he'd do more of how to be healed and after being in a spiritual abuse which i think most people would find it helpful.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This book is very helpful in relationships, especially pastoral to congregation relationships, but is very effective in protecting the integrity of interpersonal relationships as well. Though written from a Christian perspective, it can be helpful to every religiously oriented individual. This is because, with religion being so focused on right from wrong, it is easy to overstep onto someone, and accuse them or treat them as if they have done something morally or ethically wrong, when in fact they have not. This is the general them of the book, and it is written with a sensitivity to both the abused, who need healing, and to the abuses, who also need healing and correct information. Written in clear, straight forward English, it was a pleasure to read.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I highly recommend this book for anyone who is hurting from having been put down, abused, hurt, shamed or just plain bulled by their "spiritual" leader(s). Ken does an excellent job of showing what Scripture actually says about leaders and their role in the body. And he shows you just what your responsibility to the body is and where that responsibility ends. Many well meaning pastors today cross that line and Ken shows you Biblically where it is.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This was one of the most important books I have ever read. I read it on the heels of coming out of an abusive group called Jews for Jesus. This book kept me from losing my faith in God after it had been eclipsed by over-controlling leaders. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to know if the leadership in their church or synagogue is using their authority in ways in line with the Bible. It could also help a person know what to look for when searching for a congregation.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spiritual Abuse is Rampant in The Church
The book is well written, although not an easy read because of its content. It was written over 10 years ago but still very relevant today. Read more
Published 10 days ago by Danny E. Geroy
4.0 out of 5 stars
A must read if you go to church- any church!
This is an excellent book for insite on the problem of church abuse. Helps you understand an often missunderstood plight.
Published 1 month ago by Irish Mickey
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book for healing the effects o spiritual abuse.
I have read several books in regard to this subject. This is another very excellent book. It had a very strong effect in my life and would recommend it to every hurting believer... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Tomcat
5.0 out of 5 stars
This helped me a lot.
I recently had to leave a church with very controlling pastors. I read this book and discovered that nearly everything about the way church leaders abuse members was done to me and... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Chandler Isaac Klebs
5.0 out of 5 stars
Healing Spiritual Abuse
A wonderful take on what may be happening inside some churches today. I gained insight on how churches can get sidetracked away from the gospel and onto personal or self needs and... Read more
Published 12 months ago by D.J.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent!
Very well-balanced and well-written. It focuses on both sides of the problem. Sometimes the pastoral staff is the abuser and sometimes the congregation is abusing the pastoral... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Darres M. Cook
4.0 out of 5 stars
Helpful
This book is helpful, and it is not of the 'you have to repent at another church' genre. I ordered it with 'Combatting Cult Programming' and 'The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse'.
Published 17 months ago by Marjorie Osborne
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good start for a PERSONAL relationship with Jesus rather than a...
For years I tried to convince psychologists and counselors my upbringing in a Fundamentalist Christian church , with an oppressively religious family including a father who was an... Read more
Published on June 17, 2011 by bvcxz
5.0 out of 5 stars
An eye opener
You never know who GOD is going to bring into your church, what kind of upbringing they had which can effect their life positively or in a negative way. Read more
Published on September 11, 2010 by kt
5.0 out of 5 stars
Get the Healing You Need
If you are having any questions or concerns regarding things at your ministry or in the church, you should read this book. Read more
Published on March 7, 2010 by Paraclete
